Dollar Bills

Will U.S. dollars printed before 2021 no longer be accepted as legal tender as of January 2023? No, that's not true: A senior spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Department told Lead Stories that the claim is false. Under current U.S. monetary policy, he said, all bills in circulation since 1914 remain legal tender. The claim appeared in a November 5,…

Did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi call on the Federal Reserve to "ban the new Trump $2 bill"? No, that's not true: This bill does not exist, and Nancy Pelosi did not tweet anything about it. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) on October 6, 2022. It was published by the account of donaldtrump_2024, which describes itself as…

Is an instantly disabling drug being soaked into napkins and placed on car doors to incapacitate targets of rape, abduction and car theft? Experts that Lead Stories spoke with said that there is no scientific evidence or official reports to support such claims, and the experts refuted related rumors. Since summer 2022 some social media users have posted warnings and…

Are Federal Reserve notes -- commonly known as paper money -- just "obligations" and therefore exempt from taxes? And does the U.S. Constitution say gold and silver are the only form of "lawful money" to be used in paying debts? No, neither of those claims are true. The Constitution does not specify any particular form of currency, and under federal…

Are a new round of stimulus checks being issued in the U.S. on July 30, 2021? No, that's not true: This is a prank post intended to lure people in and play a crude joke. There were, as of July 15, 2021, no bills working their way through the U.S. government aimed at issuing further stimulus checks to all Americans.…

Can your Social Security card be used like a credit card? No, that's not true: The Federal Reserve Bank deals with banks only, not serving individual customers. The FBI is aware of this false claim, and people who try to extract money from the Federal Reserve could face criminal charges. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) where…

Did platinum album-selling artist Usher throw fake dollar bills to Las Vegas strippers in place of the paper money customarily thrown as tips? No, that's not true: Usher did not make it rain with fake bills of various amounts that featured his likeness. According to a representative of Sapphire Las Vegas, the club in question, Usher generously paid the dancers…

Is there really a "Cannibal Club" restaurant in Los Angeles and can you read all about it on their website? No, that's not true: the site was created as part of a web design class and uses stock photos and fake names for its staff. Peddlers of conspiracy theories that have latched on to the site and claim it is…

Does the recent legislation that funds aid to Americans economically hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic also provide tax dollars for "gender studies" in Pakistan? No, that's not true: Though they were voted on as one package, the COVID relief measures were part of a separate bill that was then bundled together with others to streamline end-of-the-year votes in Congress. The…

Did President Trump post a meme about Dr. Anthony Fauci on Facebook? No, that's not true: the meme was posted by a parody account but garnered tens of thousands likes, shares and comments, many from people who didn't realize it did not come from the President's own Facebook account. The meme appeared in a post (archived here) where it was…